Silparaja at 16:59, 21 September 2009

2009-09-21T16:59:10Z

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			Ephedra (ancient Greek name, used by Pliny for the horse-tail). Gnetaceae. Woody subjects, rarely cultivated; usually found only in botanical collections, although the scarlet fruits of some species are very attractive.

			Usually low much-branched shrubs, often procumbent and sometimes climbing, the green branches resembling much those of Equisetum, bearing minute, scale-like, sheathing lvs. in distant pairs or whorls: fls. dioecious, in small aments, forming usually peduncled axillary clusters; staminate fl. with a 2-4-lobed perianth and with the 2-8 stamens united into a column; pistillate fl. with an urceolate perianth, including a naked ovule, developing into a nutlet; in some species the bracts of the ament become fleshy, and form a berry-like syncarp.—About 30 species from S. Eu., N. Afr., Asia and in Trop. Amer. Latest monograph by O. Stapf, in Denkschr. Akad. Wissensch. Wien., vol. 56 (1889), (in German and Latin). Curious-looking, usually low shrubs, with pale green apparently leafless branchlets, much resembling those of the horse-tail and with inconspicuous fls., but fr. in some species decorative, berry-like and scarlet. They are but rarely grown, and most of them are tender; half- hardy N. are E. distachya, E. foliata, E. nevadensis, E. trifurca. They can be used for covering dry, sandy banks or rocky slopes. Prop, is by seeds or by suckers and layers.

			E. altissima, Desf. Climbing shrub, to 20 ft., green: lvs to 1 in. long: aments paniculate or solitary; fls. with 2-3 stamens: pistillate fls. 1-2: fr. berry-like, ovoid, ⅓ in. long, scarlet. N. Afr. B.M. 7070. G.C. 111.7:792.—K. distachya, Linn. (E. vulgaris, Linn.). Low, often procumbent, 1-3 ft., pale or bluish green: lvs. one-twelveth in. long: aments usually clustered, staminate oblong: fls. with about 8 stamens, pistillate 2-fld.: fr. berry-like. S. Eu., W. Asia. R.F.G. 11:809. Var. monostachya, Stapf. Aments usually solitary.—E. foliata, Boiss. (E. kokanica, Regel). Procumbent or erect, to 15 ft., bright or bluish green: lvs. to 1 in. Long: aments usually clustered, ovate; staminate fls. with 3—1 sessile stamens; pistillate 2-fld.: fr. berry-like. W. Asia.—E. kokanica, Regel=E. foliata.—E. nebrodeneis. Tineo. Erect, with rigid, pale green branches: lvs. ⅛ in. long: aments solitary or few; staminate globular; pistillate 2-fld.: fr. berry-like. Medit. region to Himalayas.—E. nevadensis, Wats. Erect, 2-3 ft., with pale or bluish green branches: lvs. ⅛ in.: aments usually solitary; staminate ovate, 6-8-fld.; pistillate 2-fld.: fr. dry, with ovate bracts. Calif., New Mex.—E. trifiirca, Torr. Erect, with rigid, yellowish or pale green branches: lvs. in 3's, connate, about ⅛ in. long; aments solitary; pistillate 1-fld.: fr. dry, the roundish bracts with transparent margins. Ariz. to Colo.—E.vulgaris, Linn=E. distachya. Alfred Rehder.

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	{{Taxobox		{{Taxobox
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{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = ''Ephedra''
| image = Ephedra distachya.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = ''Ephedra distachya'' in France
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Gnetophyta]]
| classis = [[Gnetophyta|Gnetopsida]]
| ordo = '''Ephedrales'''
| familia = '''Ephedraceae'''
| genus = '''''Ephedra'''''
| genus_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision =
See text.
}}

''This article is about the genus Ephedra. For the use of the plant in medicine, see ''[[Ephedra]]''.

'''''Ephedra''''' is a genus of [[gymnosperm]] [[shrub]]s, the only genus in the family '''Ephedraceae''' and order '''Ephedrales'''. These plants occur in dry climates over a wide area mainly in the [[Northern Hemisphere]], across southern [[Europe]], north [[Africa]], southwest and central [[Asia]], southwestern [[North America]], and, in the [[Southern Hemisphere]], in [[South America]] south to [[Patagonia]]. They are also called '''Joint-pine''', '''Jointfir''', or '''Mormon-tea'''. The [[China|Chinese]] name is 麻黄, ''má huáng'', which means "yellow hemp". Ephedra is also sometimes called sea grape (from the French ''raisin de mer''), although that is also a common name for ''[[Coccoloba uvifera]]''.

== Medical Uses ==
{{main|Ephedra}}
Plants of the ''Ephedra'' genus, including ''[[Ephedra sinica|E. sinica]]'' and others, have traditionally been used by indigenous people for a variety of medicinal purposes, including treatment of [[asthma]], [[hay fever]], and the [[common cold]].<ref name=Abourashed_2003>{{cite journal |author=Abourashed E, El-Alfy A, Khan I, Walker L |title=Ephedra in perspective--a current review |journal=Phytother Res |volume=17 |issue=7 |pages=703-12 |year=2003 |id=PMID 12916063}}</ref> They have also been proposed as a candidate for the [[Soma]] plant of [[Indo-Iranian]] religion. The [[alkaloid]]s [[ephedrine]] and [[pseudoephedrine]] are active constituents of ''E. sinica'' and other members of the genus. These compounds are [[Sympathomimetic amine|sympathomimetics]] with [[stimulant]] and [[decongestant]] qualities and are related chemically to the [[amphetamine]]s.

== Species ==
The following list of species is from the [http://www.conifers.org/ep/ep/index.htm Gymnosperm Database] page for ''Ephedra''.
*''[[Ephedra alata]]'' Decne
*''[[Ephedra altissima]]'' Desf.
*''[[Ephedra antisyphilitica]]'' Berl. ex C.A.Meyer - Clapweed, Erect Ephedra
*''[[Ephedra aspera]]'' Engelm. ex S.Wats. - Boundary Ephedra, Pitamoreal
*''[[Ephedra californica]]'' S.Wats. - California Ephedra, California Jointfir
*''[[Ephedra coryi]]'' E.L.Reed - Cory's Ephedra
*''[[Ephedra cutleri]]'' Peebles - Navajo Ephedra, Cutler's Ephedra, Cutler Mormon-tea, Cutler's Jointfir
*''[[Ephedra distachya]]'' L. - Joint-pine, Jointfir
**''Ephedra distachya'' subsp. ''helvetica'' (C.A.Meyer) Aschers. & Graebn.
*''[[Ephedra equisetina]]'' Bunge - Ma huang
*''[[Ephedra fasciculata]]'' A.Nels. - Arizona Ephedra, Arizona Jointfir, Desert Mormon-tea
*''[[Ephedra fedtschenkoae]]'' Pauls.
*''[[Ephedra fragilis]]'' Desf.
**''Ephedra fragilis'' subsp. ''campylopoda'' (C.A.Meyer) Aschers. & Graebn.
*''[[Ephedra frustillata]]'' Miers - Patagonian Ephedra
*''[[Ephedra funerea]]'' Coville & Morton - Death Valley Ephedra, Death Valley Jointfir
*''[[Ephedra gerardiana]]'' Wallich ex C.A.Meyer - Gerard's Jointfir, Shan Ling Ma Huang
*''[[Ephedra intermedia]]'' Schrenk ex C.A.Meyer
*''[[Ephedra lepidosperma]]'' C.Y.Cheng[[Image:Illustration Ephedra distachya0.jpg|thumb|''Ephedra distachya'']]
*''[[Ephedra likiangensis]]'' Florin
*''[[Ephedra macedonica]]'' Kos.
*''[[Ephedra major]]'' Host
**''Ephedra major'' subsp. ''procera'' Fischer & C.A.Meyer
*''[[Ephedra minuta]]'' Florin
*''[[Ephedra monosperma]]'' C.A.Meyer
*''[[Ephedra nevadensis]]'' S.Wats. - Nevada Ephedra, Nevada Jointfir, Nevada Mormon-tea
*''[[Ephedra pedunculata]]'' Engelm. ex S.Wats. - Vine Ephedra, Vine Jointfir
*''[[Ephedra przewalskii]]'' Stapf
**''Ephedra przewalskii'' var. ''kaschgarica'' (B.Fedtsch. & Bobr.) C.Y.Cheng
*''[[Ephedra regeliana]]'' Florin - Xi Zi Ma Huang
*''[[Ephedra saxatilis]]'' (Stapf) Royle ex Florin
*''[[Ephedra sinica]]'' Stapf - Cao Ma Huang, Chinese ephedra
*''[[Ephedra torreyana]]'' S.Wats. - Torrey's Ephedra, Torrey's Jointfir, Torrey's Mormon-tea, Cañutillo
*''[[Ephedra trifurca]]'' Torrey ex S.Wats. - Longleaf Ephedra, Longleaf Jointfir, Longleaf Mormon-tea, Popotilla, Teposote
*''[[Ephedra viridis]]'' Coville - Green Ephedra, Green Mormon-tea

<gallery>
Image:Ephedra antisyphilitica branch.jpg|''[[Ephedra antisyphilitica]]''
Image:Lumbar plant ephedra distachya.jpg|''[[Ephedra distachya]]''
Image:Ephedra fragilis1 ies.jpg|''[[Ephedra fragilis]]''<br>Male plant with cones
Image:Ephedra fragilis2 ies.jpg|''[[Ephedra fragilis]]''<br>Staminate (male) cones
Image:Ephedra_viridis_1.jpg|''[[Ephedra viridis]]''<br>in western Nevada
</gallery>
{{commonscat|Ephedraceae}}

[[Category:Gnetophyta]]
[[Category:Plant families|Ephedraceae]]

Ephedra - Revision history

Silparaja at 16:59, 21 September 2009

MediaWiki default at 09:02, 14 June 2007